If you’ve been around Shannon for any length of time you will hear him remind others to “live for heaven.” This isn’t just a phrase he says but is something he and his family live out on a daily basis. After marrying his college sweetheart, Danielle, Shannon built a successful international business with clients like Aflac and Hallmark Canada. In 2002 Shannon established SOS Ministries. Four years later, he left the corporate world and moved to Uganda to serve the Ugandan people on a full-time basis. He enjoys leading the 6 ministries of SOS, teaching classes at STC, and solving problems in the village. Shannon would tell you he’s just a normal guy who finds great joy in serving His King. He’s a proud dad who loves sports and competition, especially with his kids.
Danielle is Mom to not only their 8 children, but also to the 25+ other young people who live in their home. She manages the important day-to-day details, keeping everyone healthy and happy while Shannon is busy and often traveling with ministry responsibilities. Danielle is also involved in Bible studies and women’s ministry in the village—she enjoys writing discipleship materials. With a B.A. in church music, Danielle loves piano and also writes her own music.
Anthony's journey with SOS Ministries began in 2002, when, during his final year at The Master's University, he met the founder, Shannon Hurley. After completing his studies at The Master's University and Christ Seminary in South Africa, he assumed the role of Community Outreach Manager in 2007. In those early years, both in Mukono 07-08 and in Luweero 09-current, where SOS is currently located, he was the face of SOS on the ground - building relationships with local leaders, identifying neighborhood needs, and coordinating grassroots programs to ensure our resources reached those who needed them most. All with the highest goal of pointing people to the love and good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 2010, Anthony met his wife, Mary. A fellow Master's University graduate and Registered Nurse, she had joined the organization to use her medical expertise within SOS Community Outreach and their shared passion for Jesus Christ, and service became the foundation of their life together. They married in 2012 and established their first "home base" in Louisville, Kentucky.
After four years in Louisville, they returned to SOS as a team in 2016. Anthony took on a dual mantle, continuing his work in Community Outreach while also serving as the Security Manager. Mary's role has been equally versatile, spanning medical and administrative work. Today, she works hard homeschooling their four children, leading village Bible studies, and serving wherever the need is greatest.
As of 2026, they are now an official family of six, though God has brought other children to live with them temporarily throughout the years. The Basabas are deeply rooted in their local church, Community Bible Church of Kubamitwe, and Community Outreach, which has tremendously grown since its beginning. In 2018, the Community Outreach department added a vital Disability Ministry in partnership with Joni and Friends (JAF). For Anthony and Mary, serving in this ministry is about more than just community support - it is a platform to love people deeply and point them toward the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They believe that every individual is a reflection of God's image, is loved unconditionally through God's life-changing grace, and is called to worship Him as King. They have dedicated this season of their lives to making that truth known through every conversation and connection they make.
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In God's grace and sovereignty, John Paul and Sarah were raised in families with God-fearing parents who taught them the gospel. John Paul was trained in Bible and Education at Multnomah Bible College and afterward served as a youth pastor for five years in California. He earned a Master's of Divinity from Phoenix Seminary in 2014. In addition to serving in pastoral ministry for 10 years, he also worked in construction as a project manager. John Paul and Sarah were married in 2005 and, by God's grace, enjoy the joyful burden of shepherding and loving 12 children. John Paul serves the Shepherds Training College as the Academic Dean and a professor, and is currently working on his PhD at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. John Paul and Sarah love God's Word and are excited about helping others love it too!
It was also in Fort Worth where God grew their passion for the local church and equipped them for ministry through the loving body of Calvary Bible Church.The Mays are shocked and thrilled that God has called them to serve Him in Uganda. Dexter leads the Development Team at the ministry which is responsible for expanding and maintaining the physical components of the property. These buildings serve as the means which God uses to build his spiritual church. Jessi supports him in his work by caring for their three girls and managing the home.
Dexter and Jessi were born and raised in the same small town in South Dakota. Temporarily parting ways for University, Dexter went to Colorado to study Environmental Engineering while Jessi went to Minnesota for a degree in social work. After graduating in 2014, they married and moved to Fort Worth, Texas for an engineering job where Dexter designed municipal water and wastewater systems.
Dan and Angie were reared in Christian homes by God-fearing parents and grew up attending Bible-believing churches in the Midwest. They met in college and were married in May of 2000. In preparation for God’s plan for their life, Dan earned degrees in Pre-Law and Theology (M.A., M.Div., Th.M., D.Ed.Min in Biblical Counseling) and Angie obtained degrees in Church Music and Voice (M.M).
During their years in graduate school, Dan and Angie began to seriously consider cross-cultural missions and what the Lord might call them to do. In 2002, the Lord provided them the opportunity to spend a year as short-term missionaries in Kenya. During their time in Kenya, they became acutely aware of the challenges and needs of missions around the world and especially in East Africa. Through several short-term missions trips from 2006-2010, the Lord put a burden on their hearts for full-time missions in East Africa.
While still in the US, Dan was able to gain valuable local church experience in a Detroit area church where he served as a pastor and at Inter-City Baptist Church (ICBC), Allen Park, MI where he served in various roles in preparation to leave for Kenya. In 2010 Dan and Angie were sent by ICBC to Kenya, East Africa, where they lived in Nairobi. While serving in Kenya for 12 years, Dan has served in various roles including pastor, church planter, mission director, and the founder and director of a church-based theological school in Nairobi.
At SOS Ministries, specifically Shepherd's Training College, both Dan and Angie serve in various academic, logistic, and teaching roles while working to equip church leaders and their spouses to serve God’s Church in East Africa. Dan and Angie love serving the Lord and his Church together!
Mark and Marchelle met and married within a year and shortly thereafter added a daughter, Markiya and son, Austin to complete their family.
Mark enrolled in Bible college in 1996 and went on to receive his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2009, after moving to Texas in 2006. In seminary, he was exposed to missions and caught a heart for the nations. He became the missions director for their church in 2010, enabling he and Marchelle to go on multiple missions trips around the world.
Mark felt called to full-time missions in 2016, but Marchelle didn’t share that same sense of calling. She later recognized that her tight hold on her life in America had been inhibiting her desire to serve the Lord overseas. So Mark patiently waited for the Lord to work in Marchelle’s heart. But in 2019, Marchelle visited Uganda on a short term trip. She taught women and saw the need that Mark had been telling her about. Marchelle sensed a clear calling to full-time missions during that trip, and in January 2022 they were sent out by World Venture to join West Baptist Theological College Uganda in Kasese, Uganda for Mark to serve as a Bible professor. Mark learned about Shepherds Training College at SOS and visited a couple of times. He is grateful that the experiences serving at WBTCU prepared him for “the next level of serving in missions with greater service and usefulness.” And the Lord brought Mark to serve at Shepherds Training College in January 2024 as the Dean of Administration and professor. Mark teaches Marriage and Family to the Degree students and Bible Interpretation to the Certificate students.
